An exterior wood-burner went up in flames on Monday at a residence in the Liberty Township, the Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department said.

Fire Chief Brian Duncan told the Chesterton Tribune today that around 11:11 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to the home at 927N 150W in response to a report of a structure fire. Also dispatched—under a mutual aid agreement—was the Chesterton department.

On their arrival, Duncan said, firefighters found that there was no structure on fire but a homemade wood-burner, cited approximately six feet from the residence. The homeowner had already cut the duct work leading from the stove to the home and—though some smoke made its way into the residence via the crawlspace—there was no extension of the fire to the home itself, Duncan said.

Firefighters flooded the wood-burner with approximately 500 gallons of water, then pretty much dismantled it.

“Some part of it malfunctioned, causing it to exceed the temperature it should have been at,” Duncan said. That high temp eventually ignited the insulation between the skin and the burn box.

Duncan added that the homeowner originally discovered the fire after noticing smoke in the home “that shouldn’t have been there.” The LTVFD ventilated the residence, then cleared the scene around 12:07 p.m.

Duncan was unable to estimate the dollar loss.

Posted 1/31/2012